Lasts for rubber soled footwear



April 12, 1960 F. FARMER ETAL LASTS FOR RUBBER souan FOOTWEAR OriginalFiled May 13, 1952 INVENT'oRS HFHKMIR, '9. ZI/YEWY/ by $40 I. HAM

United States Patent 2,932,064 LASTS FOR RUBBER SOLED FOOTWEAR FredFarmer and Andrew Szerenyi, Waynesville, N.C.,

assignors to Ro-Search, Inc., Waynesville, N.C., a corporation of NorthCarolina Driginal application May13,

now Patent No. 2,830,324, dated April 15, 1958. Divided and thisapplication March 31, 1958, Serial No. 730,738

1 Claim. (Cl. 1846) I the last. In this position the operator can placethe upper on the'last and by pushing the heel portion with his hand, thelast is brought to full size and the upper is ready for thevulcanization of the sole. If the sole 1952, Serial No. 287,536,

is made of porous rubber, it is customary to close and lock the mold byhand using a locking device which is part of the mold.

One object of the invention is to improve such lasts so that it becomespossible to move the heel piece without danger of pinching the upper orits lining between the heel piece and the main portion of the last.

Another object of the invention is to improve the last to permit themounting of uppers of heavy leather or other less flexible material,which hitherto could not be easily mounted and stretched on the heatedmetal lasts.

Other objects and characteristics of the invention are clarified inconnection with the "drawings, which show in Fig. 1 a side view of alast in the extended position according to the invention, while Fig. 2shows the same last in the foreshortened position. I

The last shown in Fig. 1 consists of a base plate 1 carrying a mainportion "6 and a movable heel portion 21 with an extension 22 to which alink 25 is pivotally connected. A further link 24 is pivotally connectedto the link 25 and an extension 23 of the base plate 7 so as to presenta toggle connection. By actuation of the lever 25, the operators forceis multiplied when pulling the movable heel piece 21 into the full sizeposition shown in Fig. 1. The surface separating the heel part 21 fromthe main part of the heel has the geometric shape of a cylinder surfacewith the center line 26 located at the instep of the last. This isessential not only because it permits effective foreshortening of thelast while in the upper, but also because it permits good fit along thedividing surface and with it good heat transfer from the heated mainpart of the heel to the part 21.

As the dividing surface maintains its curvature throughout the activepart of the last covered by the upper, the surfaces remain in abuttingrelation during the movement of the heated portion and there is nodanger of pinching the upper or its lining in a gap between the heelpiece and the main portion of the last. The guiding of the heel piece ina circular path as shown also assures that there is no over-stretchingof the upper while moving the heel piece to or from its position in thefull size last.

As can be seen invFig. 1, the main part of the last can easilyaccommodate enough electric heating elements 28 to secure adequate anduniform heating. As the heel piece 21 remains in constant abuttingrelation, even during its movement, adequate heat transfer to the heelpiece is assured.

This application is a division of the application originally filed May13, 1952, Serial No. 287,536, now Patent No. 2,830,324.

What we claim is:

A last for the vulcanization of rubber soled footwear comprising a mainportion corresponding to the upper and the insole of the footwear and amovable heel portion divided from said main portion along a curvedsurface, the surface having the same curvature throughout the activepart of the last so that the heel portion and the main portion are inabutting relation during movement of said heel portion, and toggle meansfor forcing said heel portion along said curved surface from a positionnearer the toe part of the then fore-shortened last to the heel locationof the then full last, said toggle means comprising a link pivotallyconnected to said main portion of said last, a second link pivotallyconnected to said first link and to said heel piece, so as to multiplythe operators force for the moving of saidgheel piece to its location inthe full last.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 45,240Thresher Aug. 2, 1881 1,546,041 Stone July 14, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS617,229 Great Britain Feb. 2, 19'49

